Bless this rash!

Hi all! Thanks for this positively oriented forum! So glad that Sarah Pope's post about the WAPF contest directed me here!

I've been moving my family into a WAP style diet since reading Sarah's post about healing her son's cavity with nutrition last year. The changes have reversed decay for my now 3.5 year old son. Hooray!

About 8 months ago, a rash developed on my son's cheeks and ankles. I assumed it was ringworm since my husband had been battling jock itch for years and I'd recently succumbed to (my own) social pressure to participate in a vegan cookie exchange over the holidays, not realizing how seriously I was jeopardizing my family's health by bringing 5 dozen refined sugar pellets into our home. Thus ensued a slow progress toward my husband being on board with a full candida cleanse, which we are now in week 6 of 9. I miss raw milk, cheese and beans!! Only in the past week have I come to terms with a nightshade intolerance for my son and myself (I had the rash on my hand by this point). After eliminating all nightshade veggies in the past week, my rash is almost completely gone, and my son's is much better.

He is still itchy on his legs, though. So my question is this: I've been making homemade chocolate with coconut oil, cocoa powder, almond butter, crushed almonds, stevia and erythritol. Could he still be reacting because of the chocolate or erythritol? Thought in general on erythritol? I guess it's possible that because it's derived from corn that it could be GMO?

Thanks so much for your help! (And the title of this post is 'bless this rash' because it's appearance has led me on such a health odyssey that I'm grateful for it showing me the way to optimal health for my family!)

I don't have a ton of answers to bring to this discussion, but is it possible that he has a nut allergy? Have you tried removing nuts from his diet?

Skin reactions are complicated. They can indeed be due to a reaction to something ingested.  It can also be a reaction to something in the environment that is in contact with the skin or it could even be due to inhaled toxins and show up in the body in the respiratory tract or elsewhere such as the skin. It can also be a reaction to a pathogen in the body such as a chronic yeast infection (you mentioned already), or a chronic viral, bacterial or parasite infection. Some people can get a biofilm in the gut that then effects the rest of the body. So it takes being a detective to figure it out, which it sounds like you are doing. There are endless amounts of things that cause skin reactions. Certainly, sugar can decrease the immune systems ability to protect your body, so it is not a friend in that regard. Sugar ingestion can increase pathogens in the body.

Ringworm has a ridge or ring to it by the way. It is a type of Tinea.  It also is fairly contagious and can be passed from animals to kids. You mentioned this as a possibility. I suggest looking at photos of it and comparing what you have before you. It is usually easy to treat in a otherwise healthy person.

When people have continuous problems with fungal skin issues, I look to their gut first and assume they have a gut issue from food sensitivities, toxins such as mycotoxins, pathogens, lack of enough good gut microflora. However, there could be some other chronic inflammatory body issue decreasing their immune systems reaction and causing the skin issue too. Look at how it began, what was taking place at that time, what makes it worse, what makes it better. Does anyone else have it, etc.